91°µÍø

Y Gwir Anrhydeddus Elfyn Llwyd, Dirprwy Ganghellor Prifysgol 91°µÍø, yn cyflwyno Rob McCallum gyda'i Ddoethuriaeth er Anrhydedd

Mae'r fforiwr dyfnfor byd-enwog Rob McCallum wedi derbyn Doethuriaeth er Anrhydedd gan Brifysgol 91°µÍø.

McCallum, sydd â MSc o Brifysgol 91°µÍø, yw'r plymiwr dyfnaf sy’n hanu o Seland Newydd, ar ôl cyrraedd bron i 11 cilomedr o dan y dŵr yn Nhyfnder Challenger.

Mae'r cwmni a sefydlodd, EYOS Expeditions, yn dal sawl record y byd ac wedi cwblhau mwy na 1,500 o deithiau i gleientiaid preifat, cynhyrchwyr ffilmiau, endidau gwyddoniaeth ac asiantaethau'r llywodraeth.

Mae'n gwasanaethu fel Ymddiriedolwr (Is-gadeirydd) Nekton ac Ocean Census, yn Gynghorydd Strategol i DEEP ac yn Llysgennad Rhyngwladol ar gyfer Cronfa Natur Seland Newydd.

Cyflwynwyd Doethuriaeth er Anrhydedd i McCallum gan yr Athro Iain Barber, Pennaeth Adran y Gwyddorau Bywyd, ar 15 Gorffennaf.

Mae’r cyflwyniad llawn ar gael isod, yn yr iaith y’i traddodwyd.

Ddirprwy Ganghellor, Ddirprwy Is-Ganghellor, graddedigion, gyfeillion.  Pleser o’r mwyaf yw cyflwyno Robert McCallum i dderbyn gradd Doethur er Anrhydedd, Prifysgol 91°µÍø.

Pro Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, graduates and supporters.  It is an honour and a privilege to present Robert McCallum with an Honorary Doctorate of 91°µÍø.

Over the last 25 years, Rob McCallum has become an internationally acclaimed figure in the fields of deep ocean exploration, philanthropic science and conservation. Rob is the deepest diving New Zealander and has led world-record and world-first descents to the deepest points of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern oceans. These have included a submersible descent to 10,925m in the Challenger Deep, part of the Mariana Trench, in April 2021 – an achievement described as “the most significant exploration expedition of the Century”.

Rob’s expeditions have scientifically explored all of the world’s 10,000m plus deep water trenches and have resulted in major advances, not only in technology, engineering, material science, imaging and sub-sea communications but also in biology, geology, chemistry, and acoustics, establishing a new foundation of open access knowledge, for the benefit of humankind.

Rob’s early years were spent in Papua New Guinea before emigrating to New Zealand in 1977. He completed his Bachelors’ degree in Parks and Recreation Management at Lincoln University in Christchurch, before taking up a Masters’ degree at 91°µÍø in Conservation Management, which he completed remotely via distance learning. distance learning.

Rob then worked in the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea as a Technical Advisor for the United Nations Development Programme and subsequently spent 23 years working in the national parks and protected landscapes of New Zealand. After rising to the highest level of operational management, Rob left his career in New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, to pursue his passion for expedition management.

Since 2018, Rob has been the architect and leader of multiple scientific expeditions focused on exploring of the most inhospitable, previously inaccessible, unreachable and least known part of the planet – the deep ocean between 6,000 and 11,000m depths, known as the ‘hadal zone’. His leadership of these expeditions have led to the discovery of the deepest-living fish, jellyfish, octopus and shrimp ever recorded, and have discovered a treasure trove of biodiversity, with the Five Deeps Expedition alone generating a collection of over 100,000 samples and specimens.

These specimens continue to be sequenced and analysed and are expected to reveal hundreds, if not thousands of new species – all critical for global conservation and the formation of sustainable management plans. Taken together, these expeditions represent the most extensive exploration of the hadal zone in history, the largest private, philanthropic contribution to deep water science of all time and mark a turning point of humankind’s exploration of the deep ocean.

The multi-disciplinary ocean sciences – combining biological, chemical and geo-physical research – lie at the heart of Rob’s work, and his leadership has given hundreds of scientists and explorers from diverse backgrounds opportunities that would previously not have been possible. Throughout his career, Rob has championed inclusion, and his expeditions have allowed the first woman (Dr. Kathy Sullivan), the first Pacific Islander (Micronesian Nicole Yamase), the first Asian scientist (Dr. Y.T. Lin) and the first woman of African-American descent (Dr. Dawn Wright) to reach the deepest parts of the ocean.

Throughout his work, Rob has countered ‘Parachute Science’ through the involvement and co-production of expeditions with host nation scientists, and with the support of local communities. This has served to strengthen the sovereignty of small island developing states over their oceanic territories. Rob continues to serve as a mentor and advisor to new and emerging explorers internationally and devotes a large proportion of his time to providing advice and support to young scientists.

However, Rob’s work and influence extends even further, beyond the scientific investigation of the aquatic realm. He has worked with local communities to protect rainforests by identifying non-logging revenue alternatives, and in 1997 co-authored a book – entitled Race for the Rainforest – that was adopted by the United Nations as a guide for natural resource managers in developing countries. Rob has also led expeditions in the service of helping to bring closure to families and friends of hundreds of people tragically lost at sea.

These expeditions have included the successful search for Air France flight 447 in 2011, and the recovery of essential forensic evidence for the subsequent air-crash investigation and locating and documenting two of the deepest shipwrecks – the USS Johnston and the Samuel B. Roberts – both of which lay at depths below 6000m, and which saw the loss of 186 crew and 89 crew respectively.

Rob’s contributions have been widely recognised, and his expertise is in great demand. In 2020, he received the prestigious Explorers Club Citation of Merit, which he accepted on behalf of his team, and in April 2024 he was awarded the Lincoln University International Alumni Medal. Rob is an active member of the Board of the Nekton Foundation, a UK-registered charity with a purpose to accelerate the scientific exploration and protection of the ocean, where he serves as the Chair of the Expedition Committee. He is the founder and leader of the world’s foremost provider of expedition services – EYOS Expeditions – and has recently been appointed as an inaugural member of the Strategic Advisory Council for DEEP, the international ocean technology and exploration organisation, where he is helping to shape their mission to pioneer a new era of ocean exploration.

Ddirprwy Ganghellor mae’n bleser gen i gyflwyno Robert McCallum i  dderbyn gradd Doethur er Anrhydedd, Prifysgol 91°µÍø .  

Pro Chancellor, it is my absolute pleasure to present Robert McCallum with an Honorary Doctorate of 91°µÍø. 

Anrhydeddau Prifysgol 91°µÍø 2025

Bob blwyddyn, mae Prifysgol 91°µÍø yn dyfarnu Graddau er Anrhydedd i nifer fach o unigolion nodedig er mwyn cydnabod eu cyflawniad a’u cyfraniad rhagorol.

Dyma Gymrodyr er Anrhydedd 2025:

• Jamal Hassim: cyd-sylfaenydd a Phrif Swyddog Gweithredol Bolt Global, ymarferydd yn y cyfryngau ac arloeswr digidol blaenllaw.
• Elizabeth Treasure CBE: arweinydd addysg uwch a chyn Is-Ganghellor Prifysgol 91°µÍø.

Yn ogystal, bydd tri unigolyn yn derbyn Doethuriaeth er Anrhydedd i gydnabod llwyddiant eithriadol yn eu meysydd, sef:

• Sara Clancy: cefnogwr a hyrwyddwr ymarfer busnes cyfrifol a chynaliadwy yn Affrica.
• Rob McCallum FRGS: ffigwr o fri rhyngwladol ym meysydd archwilio’r dyfnforoedd, gwyddoniaeth ddyngarol a chadwraeth.   
• Linda Tomos CBE: Llyfrgellydd Cenedlaethol benywaidd cyntaf Cymru, a weithiodd am dros 50 mlynedd ym mhroffesiwn llyfrgellyddiaeth.

Rhannu